Whenever I have free time, I always have the urge to go outside and surround myself with the beauty of nature. I want to stand under a tall tree with leaves rustling in the wind, to drink in deeply the sweet smell of flowers or simply stand with my eyes closed and let the glorious sunshine warm my cheeks. Last week I took you to the Getty where you could enjoy creation by both the Creator and the created, and this week you can be immersed in a museum of God’s handiwork: The Fullerton Arboretum.
The Fullerton Arboretum is a chance to delight in the splendor and variety of God’s created beauty while not having to venture too far from Biola. Clear your calendar for half of a day and drive to the Arboretum with nothing more on your agenda than to wander through its 26 acres.
Slow down, take the time to think and rest as you take a break from the busy schedules that consume our daily lives. Take your Bible, iPod or journal, and go sit under one of the many sweeping trees. Praise God while gazing at one of the Arboretum’s many ponds, or stroll across a bridge and let the sound of rushing water soothe your soul.
The Arboretum has over 4,000 different types of plant life and four different gardens that combine together to make the largest botanical garden in Orange County. Each garden has a different theme. The woodland garden transports visitors from Orange County and into the heart of a forest of tall trees. The cultivated garden features the wonderful citrus smell of oranges, combined with the pungent fragrance of herbs — all providing a colorful tapestry of a background to a variety of beautifully pruned roses. The desert garden allows visitors to see the plant life without having to experience the scorching heat, and the Mediterranean collection features plants native to California.
If you want to do more than just soak in the beauty of the flora and fauna, the Arboretum also has the Nikkei Heritage Museum and the Heritage House. The Museum exhibits the history of the founding families in Fullerton and the people that contributed to the growth of Orange County. The Heritage House is a restored 1894 house that was the home and office of one of Fullerton’s first physicians, Dr. George Clark, which is now a museum of life and medicine in the 1890s.
The House is open for tours on Saturdays and Sundays from 2:00 p.m.-4:00 p.m. and the museum is open Saturdays and Sundays from noon to 4 p.m. (the museum has a suggested donation of $2, but everything else is free). If you do have a little bit of money to spend, the site also has a potting shed that sells very nice plants.
